A piece of Cardano's consensus design that lets the protocol's rule set switch, for example from the Byron rules to the Shelley rules, while the underlying chain keeps growing as one. Older blocks remain valid in the new era's view of the world, and the network does not need to be paused or split to enable the change.
The combinator is what makes hard forks on Cardano feel like seamless upgrades rather than coordinated chain-restart events.
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- Hard ForkA network upgrade that changes the blockchain's rules in a way older software versions no longer understand; every node has to update before the change takes effect.View term
- ByronThe first era of Cardano development, establishing the foundation of the network.View term
- ShelleyThe second era of Cardano development, introducing decentralization and stake pools.View term
- GoguenThe third era of Cardano development, bringing smart contracts (Alonzo) and native tokens (Mary).View term
- VoltaireThe fifth roadmap phase of Cardano development, focused on governance and treasury management.View term